Compton was a vocal advocate for clean sport while she was racing. Indeed, it is dark end to a long and storied career. “This news comes with great heartache and sadness, and it is the worst possible way to end my cycling career,” Compton said in her statement. “Seeing that it was five months between the sample collection and the notification, trying to figure what allegedly got into my body proved to be impossible, and I have decided to stop fighting an expensive and difficult battle and accept the sanction.” Ending an illustrious career with a question mark In part her decision seems to argue the time between providing the sample and finding out the result made arguing her case more difficult. “Over the past six months, I learned that I cannot prove that I didn’t intentionally take anything, and I can’t afford to keep fighting knowing the outcome will be the same regardless,” Compton shared. Compton hired a lawyer to argue her case and tried to prove the substance entered her system accidentally. “In early February of 2021, after returning from a difficult race season, I learned that the same sample from September was re-analyzed due to a bio-passport irregularity and found to be positive for an exogenous anabolic steroid,” Compton’s statement reads, adding “This was devastating news to me as I have never intentionally or knowingly put anything like that into my body.”įollowing that news, Compton decided to both retire and to try defend herself. Using a specialized test, Carbon Isotope Ratio testing, that differentiates between naturally occurring anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) and exogenous anabolic agents, USADA determined Compton tested positive for the presence of an anabolic agent.Īccording to Compton’s statement, the same test initially returned a negative result before being re-tested using the new Carbon isotope Ratio testing method. September sample analyzed twiceĬompton’s positive result comes from an out-of-competition test dating back to Sept. cyclocross national champion accepted a four-year ban from USADA.Ĭompton accepted USADA’s ban for the use of non-androgenic anabolic steroids, but continues to argue she did not knowingly or intentionally take performance enhancing drugs in a statement released shortly after USADA’s news. And hang in there, kid.Katie Compton’s career came to a sudden and unexpected end on Wednesday when the 15-time U.S. It was also good to examine our past behavior on this show towards different riders and how we may treat athletes in similar circumstances going forward. I think the same goes for Micheal and Zach and I hope in some way it is for you, too. Once we started, it became apparent that was not the case. When we decided to record, I didn’t think I had much to say on the subject. We don’t attempt to speculate what lies in the hearts and minds of athletes or what their intent may be. We also abide Katie’s own line-in-the-sand approach that athletes are responsible for what goes in their bodies and if a banned substance is detected, they should be punished. We accept she ingested something at sometime that she wasn’t supposed to. It’s the tension between what we know and what we don’t know that Zach, Micheal and I grapple with in this episode. Finally, I know that she is a pleasant person to be around and a great person to work with. I know that she is adamantly anti-doping in public life. I also know that Katie has said she does not know how the substance entered her body. I know that her sample was negative under one testing protocol and positive after a more extensive test was completed following irregularities in her biological passport were detected. This is not an indictment of Katie Compton or any other athlete as much as it’s a defense mechanism.Īs for Katie’s case, I know that she tested positive and that she received a ban. You only know what people want to reveal, no matter how nice, honest and genuine they may appear. At this point, I’m at a place where you can’t know everything about anyone. So when the announcement of Katie Compton’s positive test result and four-year suspension became known, I was deeply disappointed and sad for the sport, but in my soul, I couldn’t say I was surprised. As much as I’d love to say that this is a podcast episode that I never thought we’d have to record, the history of professional cycling forces us to always have our guard up.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |